Love Only Knows
by FazzyGrl.22
Summary: Feliciano, a servant to a wealthy landowner, only wishes for a life of ease and no work. Things change, however, when he meets a young lady with a kind heart. /Working title /Working summary
1. A Servant's Life

**Author's Note: **New Story! (Even though I should be updating other ones instead... *shot*)

Setting: AU/real world in a 17th/18th century town with all the trimmings: rich people, poor people, bustling old markets, big mansions, horse-drawn carriages... Ya know what I'm saying.

Hope you enjoy my little story that indulges in one of my favorite aph pairings. ;)

* * *

_Love only knows if we'll give into fear and choose life undercover._

_She said 'Love only knows if it's special enough that we'll choose one another._

'_Oh, Love only knows how your arms pull me in like the tide pulls me under.'_

_She said 'Love only knows just how long we can run before we lose each other.'_

'_And we need each other…'_

* * *

That night, that summer night of warm breezes and starry skies, was a moment in time that he would hold dear till he was old and grey, lying on his deathbed. If he were to be fated to die of dementia, the memory of that night would yet be fresh in his mind. It was one of those moments where he probably should have been doing something else, but he chose to slack off instead. Ah, but he never had loved his quality of laziness as much as he had at that moment. Seeing her there, with the moon highlighting her soft features was an image that he would never forget. There would be many images and scenarios that he would remember fondly concerning this woman, but the first time he laid eyes on her… Now that was a moment that would forever be frozen in time.

It had all started - this little story concerning this little woman - a few weeks earlier, when Feliciano Vargas was once again bemoaning his fate as an indentured servant who had to get up at ungodly hours of the morning to begin the daily grind of housework. Up in his room in the servants' quarters, he could hear the sound of birds chirping just beyond his open window. They were the signal that told him it was time to get up. Of course, that didn't mean that he actually got up.

He moaned and covered his head with his pillow instead. "Not yet. Five more minutes…" he pleaded.

A sharp knocking on his door sent his head jerking up and the pillow tumbling off of his bed.

"Feli! Come on, it's time to get up! It's almost half-past five!"

The voice of his fellow employee and good friend Elizaveta Hedervary was never as unwelcome to him as it was now.

"Just a couple more minutes…" he called feebly.

"No more minutes! Look, I have a hot breakfast downstairs just waiting for you." Her voice became sweet and beckoning. "You don't want a good meal to go cold do you? I'll have to feed it to the hogs!"

Feliciano frowned at his door. "We don't even _have _hogs..." he muttered.

At that moment his stomach gurgled. Well, if there was one thing he cared about more than sleep, it was food. He sat up and stretched.

"I'll be out in a minute!" he answered.

He heard the young woman behind his door chuckle. "I'll hold you to that," she said.

She had no cause to worry, though, for in a span of about four minutes, he was out of his room dressed and groggily rubbing his eyes. Elizaveta was waiting for him in the hallway.

"Good morning, Feli!" she chirped.

"Oh, good morning," he said kindly, albeit still sleepily. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched his head a few times before stretching once more.

"I don't like getting up early," he whined.

He felt his friend pat his shoulder sympathetically. "I know, dear, but think of it this way. The earlier we get up, the earlier in the day we get chores done!"

He sighed. "True, but sometimes I don't think I would mind working later in the day if that meant I would get to sleep longer!"

The two walked down the stairs and headed into the mansion's grand kitchen: Feliciano's favorite place in the house. It was wide, open, and always was filled with the most amazing aromas. And just as she said, there was a plate of delicious food waiting for Feliciano to gobble up. As he ate, Elizaveta pulled out the necessary cleaning tools: broom, mop, bucket and some rags.

He sighed. "What's on the list today?"

"Oh, the usual," she shrugged. "No real hard work this time."

"Good!" he said between mouthfuls. "I hate beating rugs. I'm glad we don't have to do that today."

"So, what do you want to start with: dusting, cleaning floors, or the weekly laundry?"

"Dusting, if you please!" he exclaimed. That took the least amount of work. It was tedious, but at least he didn't have to bend down all day or blister his hands.

Elizaveta chuckled. "I had a feeling you'd pick that. Very well." She handed him a rag and he handed her his plate. "You had better start in the parlor."

"_Si, signora!"_

He bounded out of the kitchen, through the dining room, into the entrance hall, and had to pause a moment. Although he had been living and working in the Edelstein family manor for a good amount of years, he still got lost some of the time.

_Mannaggia! I cannot remember… I wish I had that diagram of the house Eliza made for me… Let's see… First floor… dining room… sun room… garden room… ballroom… Ah! It's on the second floor!_

He headed up to the second floor and opened the ornate double doors that lead into the parlor. With a huge sigh, he pulled back the curtains and sunlight flooded the room. The room became bright and pretty, with golds, creams and other soft colors catching the young man's eye. But something else caught his eye as well: the billions of dust particles that littered the air. He would have to do quite a bit of dusting, indeed.

First were the windows, followed by the mantelpiece and the porcelain decorations on it. He figured he would have to dust the paintings on the wall as well. With a few grunts, he pushed one of the wooden chairs over to the wall where a lovely painting of the Edelstein estate was hanging. Feliciano stood on his tiptoes and stretched to the utmost of his abilities to wipe off the dust that may have gathered on the frame. He also tackled the vividly-painted harpsichord that sat in the middle of the room amidst the furniture. Fortunately, it was used so often that hardly any dusting was required. After making sure that the fireplace wasn't too filthy, he set a fire to make the room warm and snug. And with that, he now felt secure in moving to the next room.

_I wish I could just sit and relax in here, though, _he mused. It really was a pleasant room to be in. Whenever the Edelsteins had company, they all usually socialized in this room, unless Mr. Edelstein wanted to play a piece of music for them in the ballroom. Feliciano many times had wished he could sit in with the people in both the parlor and the ballroom, if just to hear the various pieces of music they would play. He dearly loved music, almost as much as food and sleep.

After a minute or two of admiring the room, Feliciano turned to leave just as a lady was entering it. Immediately, he bowed his head.

"Good morning, Miss Edelstein!" he exclaimed.

This young woman smiled and folded her hands in front of her. "Well, good morning to you as well, Feliciano. I see you've tidied up the room for today."

He beamed his contagious smile and replied in the affirmative.

"Ah, well, do not let me stand in your way." The lady stepped away from the entrance and Feliciano bowed his head in her direction once more before exiting.

_Ah, Miss Edelstein is such a pretty young lady! She has such lovely, long hair and her voice is so soft and musical! If I was only rich and noble like her brother, I would definitely ask to court her!_

He smiled stupidly to himself, thinking about pretty ladies and the various ways he would court them if only he were rich throughout the rest of the day as he went about his duties. After he had finished cleaning the parlor, he cleaned the study, followed by the downstairs dining room, garden room, sun room and finally the ballroom. By the time he was standing inside the ballroom, it was practically lunch time and his shoulders sagged.

"So much work…" he groaned. He really didn't want to clean this massive room by himself. Usually he and Elizaveta did the cleaning together when it came to this room. His stomach gurgled and he sighed. He was about to go running into the kitchen to grab some food and maybe hide for a little while in the cupboard to take a nap when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ah!" he yelped, flinching.

"Oh! Sorry, Feli!"

He wilted a little at the sight of Elizaveta. "You … startled me…" he breathed.

"I'm sorry, dear. I just came to tell you that lunch is ready. I figured you'd be near starving by now." She grinned.

He stomach gurgled again. "I sure am!" he exclaimed.

She nodded. "Well, come on then. Mr. Roderich and Miss Anneliese have finished their lunch and are taking tea out on the veranda. I think we'll be free for a little while to eat."

Elated, the young man bounded after Elizaveta, followed her into the kitchen, and was met with the glorious sight of a decent lunch spread out on the kitchen table. Feliciano became quite excited. Elizaveta was Hungarian, and thus had introduced plenty of delicious Hungarian dishes into the house, all of which Feliciano quite enjoyed. Granted, he didn't think they could ever be as good as his own Italian recipes, but he enjoyed them nevertheless. And Elizaveta was a pretty good cook.

Feliciano was indulging in some delicious Hungarian _palacsinta_ when the back door that lead out to the stables burst open and a man entered the kitchen. He was quite tall, with dark hair pulled away from his face and clothed in a dirty pair of boots, some trousers and a wrinkled shirt.

"Good afternoon, you two!" he exclaimed. "Is lunch ready, Eliza? I'm famished!" He spotted the display of food on the kitchen table. "Aw, yes! _Palacsinta!"_

But before he was able to get to the table, Elizaveta dodged in front of him wielding a pan.

"Dániel, you had better not track those muddy boots into my kitchen, or so help me, I will lay you flat!"

"All right, all right, Eliza! Calm down! I'm taking them off. See?"

The fellow made a big show of taking off his muddy work boots and laying them outside the kitchen door so that Elizaveta wouldn't clock him over the head with the big, metal pan. Once the coast was clear for him, he strode over to the table and ruffled Feliciano's hair.

"How are ya, kid?" he said with a bright smile.

"Oh, I'm doing all right," the younger man said between mouthfuls, "though I was scared for a moment. I thought we'd have to come up with some excuse about why you would be lying upstairs in bed again!"

Dániel winced. "Luckily that's not gonna happen again, eh? My sister is vicious, though, isn't she? Anything could make her snap!" He snapped his fingers.

"Dániel, _darling _brother of mine," Elizaveta said in a sweet, but creepy voice, "just _eat your food."_

"Yes, ma'am!" He said, giving Feliciano a scared look. Feliciano tried to conceal his amusement, noticing a warning look on Elizaveta's face.

"Oh, by the way," Elizaveta spoke up after a couple minutes of quiet chewing. "Could one or both of you go into town to purchase groceries? We're running low on some things and I've made a list with Miss Anneliese."

"I'll go!" Feliciano exclaimed before cramming more forkfuls of food into his mouth. He always enjoyed going into town. There were some pretty salesgirls there. Plus some vendors sold delicious desserts and even pasta!

"All right, then. What about you, Dániel? Are you going with him?"

"I guess I will. Probably should anyway, or else he'll forget what he's supposed to buy!" he teased.

"Hey!" Feliciano exclaimed after swallowing. "What do you take me for, some kind of idiot?"

"Of course not, but you've got to admit, you always get so caught up in everything around you that you tend to forget what you were told to do!"

Feliciano huffed and went back to his food. "I'm not the only one who gets distracted," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Dániel gave Feliciano a look before saying, "Well, I'll go along with you anyhow. It is nice to get out every now and then."

"_Right…_" Elizaveta and Feliciano exchanged wry looks, but Dániel just shook his head and ignored them, instead focusing his attention of his plate of food. Soon everyone was done with the meal and Elizaveta began clearing the table.

"Be back before five, please," she said as Feliciano snatched up his coat and as Dániel pulled his work boots back on.

"Will do!" Her brother said, waving as he exited through the kitchen door.

"Oh, and Feli!"

Feliciano poked his head back into the kitchen. "_Sí_?"

"When you get back we have to mop the ballroom floor."

Elizaveta couldn't help but giggle at Feliciano's crestfallen expression. Even so, he just sighed and said, "All right… If you say so."

"Thank you. Now be off so you can get back sooner!"

He gave Elizaveta a cheerful grin and followed Dániel to the stables where the older man began harnessing the mare, named Liesl, to a wagon. As he slipped a bridle and harness onto the animal, Feliciano clambered up to sit in the wagon seat and reached for the reins.

"Hey now!" Dániel said. "Who said you could drive the horse, hmm?"

"Aw c'mon! You never let me drive!" Feli accused him.

He merely laughed in response. "That's because I'm afraid you'll run the horse off of the road or something! Like I said back inside, you're very absent-minded."

"I'm not as bad as all _that!_ Why do you always treat me like a child?" Feliciano frowned.

"Because you _are _a child," Dániel answered as he climbed up and sat next to Feliciano. He took the reins in his hands.

"I am eighteen years old," Feliciano retorted. "I don't consider that the age of a child."

"Then perhaps you should stop acting like one. The way you slack off and shirk some of your duties are not the signs of a mature adult. Instead of always flirting with every skirt you see or lying around eating pasta all day, maybe you should devote your attention to being a hard worker."

Feliciano sighed. He didn't want to argue anymore. He hated arguing.

"Let's just get going," he said. "We wouldn't want to risk your sister's wrath!"

"Amen, brother!" the Hungarian exclaimed. He seemed to have forgotten the previous conversation, or at least, put it to the back of his mind. With a click of his tongue, the mare began heading past the stables, out of the courtyard, and onto the road. It would take ten to twenty minutes before they would reach the main town.

**...**

The sound of church bells could be heard chiming upon the hour. Several people bustled around the town's streets and Main Square, going about their businesses, purchasing supplies from the market or fabrics from the tailor. Children were running here and there with their dogs or other friends. Young ladies stood on the side of the road with baskets of flowers strewn about their feet as well as holding them in their hands in an attempt to gain a little extra bread money.

Feliciano admittedly enjoyed flirting with those flower girls. After all, they were so cute with their pretty little bonnets and their rosy cheeks. He liked to run to the nearby vendor that sold yummy little bonbons to buy a couple of chocolate morsels to give to the girls. They'd always have such a pretty blush on their face and would giggle at him out of bashfulness.

Today, however, was not one of those days of fun flirtations and bonbons. Dániel's words about his maturity in fact inwardly bothered Feliciano.

_So what if I'd rather flirt with pretty girls and eat pasta all day? _He thought. _It's not like I am a vagrant or anything! I still do my job! What does he expect of me? I'm just a poor, penniless underling whose fate is to clean up and work till my bones weaken with age. I should be entitled to a little fun and relaxation every now and then!_

"Hey! Feli!"

The voice of his Hungarian companion brought him out of his reverie.

"What?"

"Come on! We need to buy those groceries!"

"I'm coming!" he called.

"And make sure you tie Liesl up!"

Feliciano sighed. "Will do."

The two of them had stopped at the front of a general store, where there was a fence to tie horses to while unattended. Connected to the fence by little hooks were trays of hay and water if the horses got hungry or thirsty.

Feliciano hopped down from the wagon seat and tied Liesl's reins to the fence. She immediately took a drink from the fresh water tray and Feliciano gave her neck a rub before trotting into the store. Inside, he spotted Dániel talking to the store's manager, who was sharing the latest gossip on neighboring noble families. Dániel always was one for gossip.

"Oh! And did you hear about what happened at the party that the Lord Bonnefoy threw last week?"

"I knew there was a party, but I didn't hear about what happened," Dániel said.

"Well, it seems that there was a tremendous row…"

Dániel rolled his eyes. "Isn't there always?"

"Yeah, but get this! It turns out that the eldest son of the Beilschmidt house was goofing around… you know, as he tends to do…"

"Oh yes. I've seen him do some pretty stupid things."

The salesclerk chuckled. "Well, it turns out that he was drinking and, from what I've heard, he was actually just minding his own business and not really hurting anyone. But…"

"But?" Dániel urged.

"He decided to joke with Master Zwingli."

"Ohhhh…" Dániel winced. "Then the fellow had it coming to him. Even _I_ know not to mess around with Master Zwingli…"

"Yeah," the salesman continued to laugh. "Laid the guy out flat. Pretty sure Beilschmidt got a bloody nose from the man."

"Any idea what he did to cause Zwingli to punch him?"

"Apparently the guy said something about Zwingli's little sister…"

Feliciano wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. All he heard was that there had been a fight at the house of the wealthy French heir Francis Bonnefoy. Instead, Feliciano was eyeing the baked goods on one of the shelves. His ears perked when he heard the sound of the little bell hanging above the door ring. Another person entered the store.

"Afternoon, everyone!"

"Michelle!" The store owner exclaimed, peering over Dániel's shoulder. "Good afternoon!"

Hearing the name "Michelle," Feliciano broke into a smile.

"Well, look who it is!" he said, turning to greet a young woman at the front of the store. She was a pretty little thing, with a dark complexion and long, glorious black hair tied up and braided. Red ribbons were woven into her hair as the one fashionable gesture she was able to do to.

"Hello, Feli!" Michelle said happily, her brown eyes sparkling. He reached for her and she leaned in to give him sweet, quick kisses on the cheeks. He returned them eagerly.

"Getting some groceries?" he asked.

Michelle nodded and the two began walking around the store together. "I need to get things like flour and sugar..." She shrugged. "So how have you been?"

"Just fine!" He answered happily. "Though I'm unbelievably bored. Being part of the hired help isn't exactly an exciting job."

"Oh, I know what you mean! The only real entertainment we get is when we all can get together and have our own parties."

"Speaking of parties," he said as she put some apples into her basket, "was there really a fight at Master Bonnefoy's house last week?"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Yes. One man apparently said something about another man's younger sister. There was a real drag-out fist fight in the midst of the ballroom!"

The two laughed. The nobility, for all their high and mighty ways and their fancy clothing and customs, could be just as bad as regular people! "Who were the men?" he asked. They walked down an aisle and Feliciano helped Michelle grab a jar of spices from a higher shelf.

"The eldest of the Beilschmidt sons started it by insulting the other man's sister. He was drunk, though," she answered. "The man who punched him was Master Zwingli."

At that, Feliciano shook his head and sighed. "I bet Ludwig was just red with shame! I'll have to ask him about it when I next see him."

Michelle giggled. "You do that, Feli. It must be nice to have one of the nobles as a friend," she said as the two of them headed up to the front counter. By that time, Dániel was seemingly gone. Once they were up front, Michelle requested a specific amount of both flour and sugar from the store clerk.

Feliciano smiled at her as he leaned against the counter. "Ludwig's a good fellow. One of the best people I know! We don't get to talk a lot like most friends, but he never treats me like he's better than me or anything. I do envy him," he admitted.

The clerk handed Michelle two small sacks, one of sugar and one of flour, both marked individually.

"Why?" she asked.

"Come on! To be able to have money and not work? That would be wonderful!" he exclaimed, grinning.

"But the nobles do have to work… just differently than us," Michelle reasoned with him. "We don't have to worry about a lot of things, just cleaning and making sure we do a good job. If you were a noble, people would tell you what to do, where to go, how to dress…"

"All right, all right! I get your point!" Feliciano laughed, hands raised.

After she asked the store clerk to put the charge on the tab of her employer, the two of them headed outside. "Well, I will say one thing," Michelle said, holding her basket in her arms. "It does get tiring when Bonnefoy hosts so many parties." She shook her head.

He shrugged in return. "At least your employer's parties are lively. Master Roderich's parties are always so quiet and serious."

"Well, maybe we should switch employers for a while!" she jested.

The two of them walked around the town for a few minutes, chatting about nothing much, as well as looking into the store windows. But pretty soon, Michelle was being called over by one of her associates and she had to bid farewell to Feliciano.

"I'll see you around, Feli!" she said pleasantly.

"Take care of yourself, _bella," _he responded, blowing her a kiss as she waved at him.

The clock chimed half-past four, and Feliciano's eyes widened. He and Dániel had to get back soon, or else they would both feel the wrath of Elizaveta's pan!

"Where is Dániel, anyway?" he said to himself. The last time he had seen Elizaveta's brother, he had been in the general store purchasing the groceries they needed.

After wandering around the streets for several minutes (all the while tasting free samples of food and flirting with a couple of girls he came across), he found himself standing by the town's beautifully structured cathedral. His eyes widened when he recognized Dániel standing at the gates. He seemed to be waiting for something… or someone.

At that moment, a tiny group (four or five, at best) of nuns walked out. Most of them were older, but amidst the women was a younger woman with a pale face and violet eyes. Underneath her white habit were strands of pale blonde hair. She held a book in her hands and seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, Dániel approached her and it seemed to Feliciano that he tried to exchange pleasant conversation with her. He was smiling kindly and only touched her shoulder with the gentlest of touches.

The young lady, however, seemed very alarmed at his sudden advances and backed away, merely saying one or two things to the Hungarian man. No matter how hard he tried, the woman would not stay to talk. With reddened cheeks, she shot one final word to him and hurried after her fellow nuns. Feliciano, quite curious by now, noticed that Dániel seemed quite crestfallen as he watched the young woman walk away.

"Hey," he said, approaching his comrade.

"What? Oh… Hello, Feli," Dániel murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Did you get the groceries?"

Elizaveta's brother nodded. He still seemed quite down.

"All right… We should be going then, don't you think?"

Dániel merely nodded again and the two of them headed back to the General Store, where their horse and wagon was still securely tied up. Fortunately, Feliciano could see the bags of supplies lying in the wagon. Dániel harnessed the horse and the both of them got onto the wagon seat. Without saying a single thing, Dániel urged the horse to walk forward and they wordlessly headed back to the Edelstein manor.

* * *

_Beginning quote is from a song sung by Josh Groban._

_Oh gosh, I don't know if I'm writing Italy well or not, lol... What do you guys think?_


	2. First Meeting

_Splat! _Feliciano slapped the mop onto the tiled floor of the ballroom and began to shove it around. He did his best not to slide around on his makeshift shoes of wrapped towels as he moved forward, cleaning the floor as he went.

"So," he heard Elizaveta say as she also mopped the floor. The ends of her skirt were tucked up into her belt and she too had wrapped towels around her bare feet.

"So, what happened on the way back?" she asked.

Feliciano paused and leaned on the mop. "He went to the church again."

That caused her to pause as well. "Did he look for Maria?"

"He actually tried to talk to her."

Elizaveta sighed and passed a hand over her forehead. "I keep trying to tell him… Once she took the vows, there was no possible chance of…"

Feliciano nodded. "He just doesn't want to listen, huh?"

Elizaveta sighed. "Nope. I don't know if he ever will." A wistful look came over her face. "But, well, when you love someone, sometimes you don't listen to reason."

They continued mopping the floor and Feliciano slightly frowned. "I don't think I've ever really been in love before," he said quietly.

"You flirt enough," she teased. "What about that island girl who works at Master Bonnefoy's house?"

"Michelle?" Feliciano couldn't help but smile. "She is very cute, and I do like her… but I don't think I'm in love with her. I know she doesn't love me."

"I see," Elizaveta responded. She scooted over near the piano and swept the mop around the big, black instrument.

"What about you, Eliza- Whoa!"

His feet skidded; he dropped the mop, his arms flailed. Elizaveta gasped.

"Watch it, Feli!" she exclaimed. She was about to slide over there to help him, but after a couple seconds of flailing his arms and staggering, he righted himself.

"That was close!" he cried.

"Yeah. You could've gotten that part of the floor dirty!" Elizaveta teased.

Feliciano scoffed. "Thanks for your concern!"

"Any time!" she shot back, grinning.

It took a good ten more minutes to finish mopping the ballroom floor, but together, they found that those ten minutes seemed to pass by rather quickly. When they were finished, she held the buckets, he took the mops (to his shame, Elizaveta seemed to be able to carry the buckets easier than himself) and they headed out of the room.

"Is there someone you have feelings for, Elizaveta?" he asked as they headed to the kitchen.

To his surprise, she merely lowered her head and shrugged. "Perhaps…" she mumbled.

"Who is it? You can tell me!"

But Elizaveta shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he remained quiet. Even though Elizaveta usually had an open personality, there were little things about her that she kept secret from her friends and even her family. As for her brother, Elizaveta couldn't help but worry about him.

It seemed to her that Dániel still had his heart set on wooing the young woman he had grown up with. They had played together as children. Little Maria Beilschmidt had been a lively, playful little girl who always had an adventure in store. Dániel was her confidant and she was his. As the years passed, Dániel's fondness for the pale, little Prussian girl began turning into something deeper. He thought she felt the same, and was hoping to court her, but all that ended when they both turned twenty. Something in Maria had changed. She drew within herself and her thoughts became consumed with religious matters, suddenly saying that she was giving up the "lusts of the flesh" for a life with a higher purpose. She left her parents' house, took up the vows of a nun and refused to talk to any man save her brothers and her father. Dániel tried to find out why, but if her family knew the reasons, they weren't talking. Even so, Dániel was determined to show her that he would still be around, ready to love her if she ever returned from her life of abstinence.

"I wish you would come to grips with it," Elizaveta quietly said to Dániel that same evening. She sat on a railing as she watched him clean out the stables. The sun was setting and shadows began to bounce along the stable walls.

"Maria has made her choices and I think you should respect them. You'll only just continue to hurt yourself and bring additional pain to her!"

He shoved a pitchfork into a bale of hay and tossed the hay into the stalls.

"You just worry about your own affairs, Eliza," he answered.

"I was only just –"

"Maria wouldn't have just woken up one day and decide to join a convent. I need to find out what happened to make her change so drastically."

"She was always spontaneous when we were children…"

"Not when it came to religion."

Elizaveta sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, brother. I just wish you would try to find someone else…"

Dániel jammed the pitchfork into a smaller pile of hay. "And what about you?" he shot back.

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Eliza. I know what's been going on despite your attempts to conceal it."

Her face reddened and she looked down at the stable's floor. "That is different," she said weakly.

"But it's doomed to fail. Someone like you with someone like him can't last forever."

Elizaveta slid off of the railing and stormed out of the stables.

"I didn't ask for your opinion on the subject!" she shouted back at him before he could apologize for his harsh words. Instead, he just sadly watched as she went back inside the manor via the kitchen and slammed the door behind her.

Feliciano was sneaking a bite of jarred peaches when he heard the kitchen door slam shut, which caused him to almost drop the jar. He opened the pantry door a slight crack and saw Elizaveta sitting at the table with her head buried in her arms. His forehead puckered out of worry. After gingerly putting the jar back on the shelf and slowly opening the pantry door, he went over to Elizaveta's side and gently laid his hand on top of her head.

"What's the matter, _Tesoro?_" he asked.

She slightly shook her head. "Don't ask me," was her muffled response.

He sighed and just stroked her hair. "All right. But you know you can always tell me about what bothers you."

She raised her head and scrubbed the tears away. "Thanks, Feli."

He was about to say something more when the door leading out into the dining room opened and the Master of the house entered the kitchen.

"Feliciano, I was wondering if- Oh, hello Elizaveta." Roderich Edelstein surveyed the situation. Feliciano was standing beside Elizaveta with his hand on her head while she was sitting at the kitchen table crying.

He frowned in concern. "Elizaveta… you're crying…"

She sniffed and looked away, her hand rubbing away more tears. Master Edelstein seemed to almost make a move towards her, but refrained at the last minute.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

Elizaveta said nothing, but jumped to her feet. With a gasping, "Excuse me," she ran out of the room, leaving the two fellows alone.

After staring at the door for a minute, and frowning, he turned back to Feliciano.

"I was going to ask you if you knew where Elizaveta was, but I think I shall talk to her later. Now, Feli, as my sister's birthday is only a few weeks away, I need you, Elizaveta and Dániel to begin preparing for her party."

"Oh! Yes sir!" Feliciano said. He suddenly began feeling excited. _That's right! Miss Anneliese's birthday is coming soon! I had quite forgotten!_

"You know how hectic things get around here when we decide to host one of these, so you will listen to everything Elizaveta tells you. And tomorrow, I want you to go to the ballroom and begin making it look presentable. That will be your main job this week, understood?"

He inwardly dreaded this order, but nodded. "Yes, sir. We will be sure to make the house look absolutely beautiful for the Mistress' birthday!"

Roderich had a small smile on his face at Feliciano's enthusiasm. "Thank you. Now, if you need me I will be in my study. Remember, if you have any questions, just ask Elizaveta."

Feliciano nodded and Roderich began to exit the room. As for Elizaveta, Feliciano began to debate within himself about when would be a good time to tell her the news about the party.

**…**

Roderich Edelstein headed upstairs and entered the parlor where his sister sat in one of the plush chairs, working on her patchwork. He went and sat down beside her.

"Ah, it looks like you are getting on in your sewing," he said, peering at little words on her handy work. She was almost done sewing in the last of "Bless this home."

Anneliese paused and looked up at her brother, with a small smile on her face.

"Yes. I was thinking about making some scarves after I am finished with this, since autumn is coming."

"We can always buy some, you know."

"Oh, but I enjoy doing it myself!" She looked down at her patchwork. "I don't know… I just feel like I am actually…" She stopped and slightly shrugged.

"Well," Roderich said, changing the subject, "I've begun planning your party."

Her smile widened. "I can't believe you still plan a big party like this every year. You know I don't need one."

"Nonsense! Plus it's a good time to socialize with friends, among others…"

"Will Elizaveta be taking care of all arrangements?" Anneliese asked, focusing her attention back on her sewing.

"Yes."

Anneliese studied her brother for a minute, but said nothing.

"I have a special gift for you this year," Roderich said. A secretive smile was on his face.

"I do hope it is not more pearl hair combs. I'm incessantly bombarded with the things and I don't think I can take much more of it."

"You needn't worry," Roderich patted his sister's hand. "This is most certainly not hair combs. Now, what say you and I make a list of guests you wish to invite to your party?"

**…**

For the rest of the week, the Edelstein manor was bustling with excitement and panic. After Elizaveta seemingly got over her inner troubles, she took charge of the party planning and began running around ordering this, sending out that, and organizing other things. People were hired to come in and help with the decorations, with the food and with the service on the actual night of the party. The big kitchen seemed to shrink in Feliciano's eyes: there was just so much food piled everywhere! It made his mouth water to see the chickens and the geese. There was even lobster! He dearly hoped there would be pasta…

Meanwhile, he was stuck with a lot of the cleaning. He had to sweep and mop, clean the curtains, dust and prepare the rooms for guests. As the weeks wound down, he grew more excited, almost to the point of bouncing from room to room. Elizaveta almost smacked him a couple of times because he was so energetic.

"Feliciano, why don't you go finish that little project you were working on," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

"But I want to help!" he exclaimed, beaming.

"You've helped so much already," she answered, trying to maintain a sweet attitude. "But if you don't finish that painting, you won't be helping anyone and the Mistress won't have her birthday present."

His eyes widened. "You're right! I'd better get right to it, then! Luckily, it's almost finished!" And he bounded past the several numbers of people hurrying to and fro through the house trying to get things done. When he reached his room, Feliciano went into his small closet and pulled out a paint-stained frock. It was so stained, in fact, that he was beginning to forget what color the frock originally was.

Once the frock was tied on, he then pulled out a folded up easel that he set up near his bedroom window. Lying neatly stacked against the wall underneath the window sill was a decent sized canvas. He pulled up a stool, placed the canvas on the easel and fished around a small makeshift desk for his paints. Yes, Feliciano was a painter. He was an amateur, regardless, but he was improving quite steadily. Roderich had noticed this of late, and was quite impressed with the sketches his young employee showed him.

_Do you think you can do an entire painting?_ He had asked Feliciano.

_The young man tilted his head and thought about the question. "I suppose it would depend on what the subject is…" he finally answered._

_ "I was thinking a portrait of my sister."_

_ That made Feliciano a bit more enthusiastic. "You want __**me **__to paint a portrait of Miss Anneliese? Do you think I can do her justice?"_

_ "I have seen your paintings of Elizaveta and several other girls. I think you have real talent, Feliciano."_

_ He also found it incredibly convenient."It will mean extra meals of pasta for the rest of the week," he offered._

_ Feliciano was more than willing to comply after hearing that, and Roderich gave him an older painting of the lady as a reference for his portrait. Of course, Feliciano also tried his best to study the lady herself from afar to get better proportions and details._

Thus here he was, in his room finishing up another layer of his painting. As he began forming the lovely deep blue eyes of his muse, he couldn't help but sigh. It really was rather unfair that he couldn't have the lady herself before him in the room, for him to admire. But since this was supposed to be a surprise, he had to deal with looking at yet another depiction of her instead of Anneliese herself.

_Whoever marries her will be a lucky man! _He decided.

When the night of Anneliese's birthday came, the food was ready, the hired help was dressed in their finest, the visitors (those who were invited, and even those who weren't invited) arrived at the designated time (or fashionably arrived five minutes late, as was the custom of some, like the wealthy Francis Bonnefoy) and the orchestra was playing the lady of the house's favorite classical pieces. Many marveled at how yet again, the Edelsteins were able to make their home look exquisite for being the frugal nobles they were.

"I say, Edelstein, the house looks lovely," some said.

"Looks like you went all out for your sister again!" many others replied, to which Roderich would say,

"Well, of course. I want my sister to have the finest!"

Elizaveta and several other hired hands went around carrying trays of _hors d'oeuvres _(even though it was a French custom, the Edelsteins liked to have what was fashionable for the day) and Feliciano helped hand out champagne. Every now and then, he saw the lady of the party herself passing here and there, greeting many and exchanging pleasant conversation with friends. Around midnight, requests for dances was called, and Feliciano was happy to discover that they were finally able to play something a bit more exciting, though he did wish he could have been dancing. There were some very pretty ladies there that night.

He was allowed a break and went through several back doors to reach the kitchen. He just wanted a small morsel of pasta and maybe a quick drink of something (wine, preferably). In the kitchen itself, chefs and washers alike were hard at work preparing more appetizers and washing soiled dishes. No one really noticed Feliciano as he sneaked a small plateful of ziti. Sadly, he couldn't get any wine. After gobbling it up in a corner of the room, he headed back out into the crowd with tray at hand.

"Champagne, _signori?_" he asked, holding out the tray. Several took a glass, some ignored him and others waved him away.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You wouldn't happen to have any beer, would you?"

"Ah! Ludwig!" Feliciano exclaimed happily.

A tall, young man dressed in a military uniform with slicked back golden hair smiled down at the Italian. "It is good to see you, my friend," he answered.

"I didn't know the militia was back in town!"

"We only arrived last night. Believe me, I am the only fellow from the ranks to come here tonight. After all, I want to celebrate cousin Anneliese's party as well."

Feliciano shrugged. "Well, it's good to see you again, no doubt about that!"

"Likewise, Felicano. You seem to be keeping busy."

"Yes, well…" Feliciano paused and offered a couple more guests some champagne. "You know how it is. Birthdays are always such a big deal! Speaking of which, did you get Miss Anneliese a present?"

Ludwig nodded. "Some trinket or other from my travels. What was it…? Combs, I think. For her hair."

"Ah," Feliciano nodded sagely. "I'm sure she can put those to good use. Ladies usually can with those kinds of things."

"Since when did you become such an expert on the ladies?"

"What are you talking about? I've always been an expert!" Feliciano grinned, which made Ludwig roll his eyes.

"But as I was asking to begin with…" The taller man leaned down. "You got anything else besides that bubbly liquid there?"

Feliciano smirked. "No, sir. This is a _lady's_ party. The main drink for tonight is champagne."

Ludwig grimaced. "Shame."

"I know. I could do with some wine, myself," Feliciano sighed. "Red wine. Yes…"

"Feliciano!"

He winced at the sound of Elizaveta's accusatory voice.

"What are you doing? We still need more- Oh! Mister Ludwig! I didn't know you were back!"

Elizaveta was clothed in a black dress and held an empty tray that once held appetizers. Looking up at the young man she gave him a smile.

"Hello, Miss Héderváry."

Her face flushed. "Why do you keep calling me that? It's not like I'm one of you or anything."

"I don't care if you and Dániel are looked down on as servants by others. You will always be the friends we played with as children."

"Wait!" Feliciano exclaimed. "You two grew up together?"

"We used to play in the town together and Mr. Héderváry was the gardener for our family's estate. Elizaveta and our sister Maria were quite the pair of scoundrels," Ludwig said, with an amused smile.

"And your brother," Elizaveta shot a wry look over to the left of the ballroom, "was no better."  
Feliciano chuckled and glanced over to see a pale man with red eyes standing by the punch table laughing and slapping Roderich Edelstein on the back who, by the way, didn't look very amused.

"So your sister turns nineteen today! That's pretty awesome! I have to admit, she looks quite fetching tonight! Has she always been so pretty?" Ludwig's brother said before sampling some of the punch.

"I'm sure Anneliese would be happy to hear you tell her so yourself, Gilbert," Roderich said, trying to remain patient.

"Aw, well… you know…" the Prussian man actually rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. "I wouldn't know what to…"

Suddenly he spotted Elizaveta, Feliciano and Ludwig and waved.

" Hey! Liz! I haven't seen you in a while!" He strode over to the three of them. "Champagne! Don't mind if I do!"

He snatched up one of the glasses on Feliciano's tray and downed it in one gulp. Elizaveta just looked at him, unimpressed.

"Try not to cause a scene here tonight, Gil," she said. "I heard about what happened at Master Bonnefoy's house."

"What?" He exclaimed. "I didn't even do anything! I just said _one _little comment (that wasn't even insulting, it was quite flattering, actually) about that fellow's younger sister, and suddenly bam! I'm lying flat on the floor!"

"You need to watch what you say around Basch Zwingli, brother. I keep telling you that," Ludwig said.

"Are you saying I don't have tact?"

"We all_ know _you don't have tact," Elizaveta answered. Gilbert Beilschmidt merely laughed and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Aw, Liz. That's what I like about you. You always speak your mind!"

"Well, to you, anyway. Now get off of me."

Feliciano watched this exchange with some amusement. It was quite interesting to him that Elizaveta and Dániel had grown up with the Beilschmidt brothers. He wondered what they were all like as children. Meanwhile, Gilbert complied to Elizaveta's request, but his eyes remained on her, full of warmth. Elizaveta focused her attention on Feliciano.

"We really ought to get back to work. Enjoy the party Ludwig, and you," she pointed to Gilbert and frowned. "Behave yourself. Master Zwingli is here, if I'm not mistaken, as is his sister."

"Yes, yes. I've seen him. Don't worry, I am staying _far _away from that fellow," Gilbert said, folding his arms.

Elizaveta nodded and gestured for Feliciano to follow her. "Come, Feli. We've got to clean up."

"Have a good evening, guys!" Feliciano waved to the two brothers and headed for the kitchen.

Around the time where Anneliese was opening her presents, Feliciano was in the dining room with a cart loaded with dirty dishes and silverware. It was half-past three in the morning, and he was beginning to lag. His eyes drooped and he let out a massive yawn.

"Tired, huh?" One of the hired hands said to him as he pushed the loaded cart into the kitchen.

"Eh, yeah," he murmured. "This is the last of the dishes," he said, loading them onto the counter. He sighed again. The kitchen was pretty warm due to the cooked food and the steam rising from the hot water and he felt sweat rolling down his forehead. He was beginning to feel miserable.

Once the dishes were unloaded and he wheeled the cart into a storage closet, Feliciano decided he wanted some air. Maybe the cool night air would wake him up. He informed some of the workers that he was stepping outside to cool down and they just nodded. It was getting on in the night and no one seemed to care about much anymore.

The night air felt wonderful to Feliciano as he headed outside for the back terrace. He heaved a sigh and sat down on the terrace floor just outside the ballroom doors. He could hear the people inside chatting and remarking on the different gifts that Miss Edelstein received and smiled when he heard many gush and gasp over a specific painting that Mr. Edelstein had supposedly commissioned an anonymous painter to do. It bothered him a little that Roderich didn't actually tell everyone that it was his own worker that had painted the portrait, but he wasn't one to hold grudges and just shrugged it off. He was too tired to really worry about it, anyway.

"Are you all right, Elise?" Feliciano heard someone ask.

A soft voice answered. "Yes, I am perfectly fine. I just need a little bit of air, that's all."

"All right," the first voice said. "Just try not to catch cold."

The ballroom doors opened and someone came outside. "I'll be all right. It's not that cold out tonight."

It was a young woman that emerged from the glowing light of the ballroom and out onto the terrace. Feliciano couldn't see her face, but judging from her silhouette, she wasn't very tall. She was pretty diminutive, actually; even shorter than him! She leaned against the railing and seemed to be deep in thought as she peered up at the sky. Feliciano wondered if he should try to move and sneak past her, but he ultimately decided to stay put. He didn't feel like getting up.

At that moment, the moon peeked through the night clouds and shone down onto the terrace. Feliciano was able to catch a glimpse of the lady's face and his eyes widened. He beheld a pretty, pale face with dainty features framed by golden wisps of hair. Her eyes were the most beautiful color of blue mixed with green. She wore a summer dress that was of a light peach color that accentuated the blue in her eyes.

Something struck the young Italian man that night. He couldn't take his eyes off of the young lady. He leaned forward, wanting to catch every minute detail of this woman: her face, her figure, the way her golden hair was braided and wound up in a way that was fashionable at the time, the deep blue ribbons woven into that shimmering hair and trailing down her back… Everything about her enchanted him. One would have thought he had never seen a girl before now from the way he was gawking. He must have made some sort of sound, for she suddenly started and peered around the terrace nervously.

"Who was that?" she asked. "Is someone out there?"

Feliciano felt mortified for scaring her. "Ah! No! Please don't be alarmed, Miss! It's only me."

He stood up and stepped into the light. Upon seeing him, the young lady seemed more at ease.

"Oh! Well, you certainly don't look like a vagrant or anything," she said pleasantly. "I don't mean to be so nervous, but my brother is always warning me about vagrants and whatnot. 'They'll jump out at you when you least expect it!' He used to say that… Silly, really." She laughed.

"Well, not to worry! I'm quite harmless, I assure you!" He replied, grinning. "I'm just out here getting some air, just like you it seems."

"Oh yes. It did get rather stuffy in there. Are you one of the party guests? I haven't seen you before."

Feliciano suddenly felt quite bashful. He didn't know why. He had plenty of pleasant conversations with other young ladies. Why was it that only now was he feeling so embarrassed?

_Ah, right, _he realized. _It's because this girl is actually a noble and I'm talking to her as if I belong in her circles. She doesn't even know I'm a servant._

He could have lied and told her that he was from a wealthy family from some far-off land, but looking into those big, bright eyes he decided that he didn't want to deceive this young lady.

"Well, actually, I'm a worker for Mister Edelstein. You probably haven't seen me because I've been running around everywhere." He chuckled sheepishly.

_She probably won't talk to me now, _he thought. _I can't blame her for it. I am just a servant after all._

But suddenly, he felt upset and suddenly, the thought of this lady snubbing him left him feeling more miserable than he had ever felt before. She wasn't like the common girls he flirted with in the town square. She was different.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. He looked up, surprised. She was staring at him with a curious look in her eyes. "You seem sad all of a sudden."

Feliciano felt his face heat up. She could tell something was troubling him? Was he that easy to read?

_Wait! _He suddenly thought. _She's still talking to me! _He was so surprised that he almost forgot to answer her.

"I-uh-I'm just surprised!" he finally exclaimed.

The lady's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Well, it's not every day that someone like me gets to talk like this to someone like you!"

He mentally kicked himself just as the words came out of his mouth. _Probably shouldn't have said that… She might think I'm implying something on her part, or that I'm being too forward._

Instead, the girl continued to surprise him. She just blinked and watched him, a bit confused.

"'Someone like you'? It's not like I'm royalty or anything. You don't have to worry that I'll be offended with you talking to me. I'm just glad I am able to talk with someone closer to my own age for once!"

She smiled, but then peered around them furtively. "I probably shouldn't have said that last bit," she whispered.

Feliciano just couldn't believe how lucky he was tonight. For the first time, someone from a noble family (besides Ludwig Beilschmidt) was treating him as an equal, and it was a pretty young lady with beautiful eyes and a sweet smile at that! Someone from up above must like him, Feliciano figured. He wished he could tell her how he admired her pleasant nature and lovely features, but he knew he didn't have the right to.

Instead, he merely stammered out, "I-I'm Feliciano. Feliciano Vargas."

Her smiled widened. "Feliciano. That's Italian, is it not?"

He nodded.

"So you're from Italy?" She stepped closer to him, bringing her hands together and resting them on her chest.

"Sí, but it's been a while since I've seen that country. I've been serving in this house for some time now."

"Do you wish to go back?"

Feliciano had a wistful look on his face. "You know, when I left, I told myself I never wanted to go back." He bashfully looked down at his boots. He couldn't believe he was telling this girl all of this, yet he found that she was quite easy to talk with.

"But now that I think about it, I admit sometimes I do miss that place. I left to find work – to make a new life. I wanted to travel, but instead I just ended up here." He sheepishly laughed.

"I suppose I sound foolish."

The lady shook her head. "Oh, no. You were able to leave home and see other places. I envy you, actually."

She turned and looked back up to the sky. "I would love to go to Italy. I would love to go anywhere, really."

"You've never traveled?"

The lady leaned against the terrace railing and looked at him. "I have not. It's quite a shame, isn't it?"

Their gazes held with one another's as he leaned against the railing next to her.

"Well, Italy would be a good place to start!" He actually became excited. He had been away for so long; memories of his old home left him feeling nostalgic.

"We make some of the best food you'll ever taste! No other country can match it!"

His enthusiasm began to make her smile. "That's what Mister Bonnefoy says about his country."

"Well, no offense to him, but French food is too dainty!" Feliciano waved his hand, as if to say "Forget what that man says!"

"I promise you, Italy has some of the best meals and desserts! Plus, we have a history of beautiful art and architecture! If you ever go there, you'll have your breath taken away!"

He leaned in toward her. "And I should also mention our city that's entirely built upon water!"

Her eyes widened. "Water?"

"Yes! You have to travel by boat to get anywhere!"

She giggled. "It sounds like fun!"

"It is!" He laughed with her. Feliciano was enjoying this little lady's company ever so much that he didn't realize he was leaning in a bit too close to her. So close, in fact, that his forehead was almost touching hers. She seemed to notice first, for her cheeks began to turn a deeper shade of pink than was usual and she backed away. Feliciano began feeling guilty. He had gotten too close.

_You idiot! You've probably frightened her!_ He wanted to smack himself.

"P-perhaps I could convince my brother to travel with me to Italy some day," she said, quieter than she had been before. She didn't look him in the eye.

Feliciano kept smiling, but was beginning to feel an awkwardness settle in. "Yes. You should do that," he answered.

Suddenly, someone opened the ballroom doors and Feliciano beheld a young man with pale-blond hair and light blue eyes.

"Elise, your brother is looking for you," he said quietly.

"Thank you, Emil," she said quickly and the young man headed back inside. As Feliciano watched her head towards the ballroom, she suddenly spun around.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Feliciano!" she exclaimed.

"The pleasure was all mine, Miss!"

She had her hand on the door handle, but didn't go inside.

"Elise."

"What?" he asked.

"You can call me Elise. I mean, it's only fair, since you let me call you by your Christian name…" Her face turned pink again.

Feliciano smiled. "Thank you… Elise… The name suits you. It's a very pretty name, just like –" He stopped. His eyes widened.

_I was about to tell her she was pretty! _This time, he was the one with the pink cheeks.

He heard her giggle and saw a flash of a smile and a swirl of skirts as she quickly ran into the ballroom, leaving Feliciano feeling as if he was floating up in the clouds instead of standing outside, gawking at nothing.

**…**

"There you are! Where have you been? Come on, you need to help me hand the guests their coats!"

Elizaveta found Feliciano sitting in the kitchen, looking down at the table as if deep in thought. When he heard her, he looked blankly up at her.

"Oh… Hello, Elizaveta. Is the party over already?"

She stared at him. "Feli, are you all right?"

"Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because," she said slowly. "Last time I saw you, you were practically dragging your feet and whining about how tired you were… Did something happen?"

Her bafflement grew when a smile spread across his face. He rested his chin in his hand and sighed.

"You could say that."

Elizaveta was curious, she would admit, but there wasn't time for questions now.

"Well, daydream all you want later when you go to sleep. Right now, we've got to see the guests off."

She grabbed his arm and he allowed her to pull him up on to his feet. Feliciano followed her through a small door that opened up to a narrow staircase that led to the upper floors and they climbed it. In a coat closet were the coats and wraps of the guests and she handed some to Feliciano while carrying some herself.

Back downstairs, the host and hostess were saying their farewells to the guests and Feliciano and Elizaveta handed them their things. Feliciano's friend Ludwig was amongst them along with his brother and he bid the younger man goodbye as Elizaveta handed him his coat.

"Drop by sometime, when you have a break," Ludwig said. "We could play a game of chess or watch my brother humiliate himself at hunting."

Feliciano snickered. "How about I bring along a card game called Scopa? I'll teach you how to play."

"Sounds interesting. I'll look forward to it. Now, where's my…"

Ludwig turned and spotted his elder brother talking to Anneliese Edelstein. Gilbert held her hand, affectionately patting it. She smiled at him fondly, albeit shyly.

"Gil!"

The Prussian looked away and nodded to his brother. "Be right there!"

Ludwig nodded and then said, "Well, try to get some sleep, Feliciano."

"Yeah, you do the same. Good night!"

Ludwig headed outside and Feliciano continued his job. He handed the men their coats and helped the ladies into theirs. As he held up a dark blue, furry thing of a coat, the owner stepped up and thanked him in a soft voice that he would have recognized anywhere.

He stared into the surprised eyes of the girl named Elise.

"It seems we meet again," she said quietly. A shy smile came over her face.

He knew he was staring. He was inwardly shouting at himself to stop.

"I-It seems s-so," he stammered. He wished he could act normal. Why was he so worked up all of a sudden? Why was it that this one girl caused such a reaction?

Her smile made his heart begin to beat faster. People walked around them, but they seemed to be walking past in slow motion – at least to Feliciano. He just continued to look into those blue eyes mixed with green. They really were such a unique, lovely color. Not many people in Italy had such eyes.

Suddenly, he heard someone clear their throat.

"I think she would like you to give her the coat," a gruff voice said.

Feliciano blinked and he looked up at a taller man with hair and eyes the exact same color as Elise.

"Oh! My apologies!"

He was about to help Elise put on her coat, but the man snatched it from his hands and did the job himself.

"Come, Elise. Let's go."

Before she could say anything, the man began to usher her outside. She turned once and gave Feliciano an apologetic smile before she vanished into the night.

"That Basch. He's always so antsy when it comes to his sister."

Feliciano turned and saw that Gilbert Beilschmidt was standing in front of him.

"That… that fellow just now, you mean? With the young lady?"

"Yeah. That's Basch Zwingli and that young lady just so happens to be his little sister, Elise Zwingli."

_So that's who she is…_ Feliciano gulped. He had heard about how protective the Swiss man was about his little sister.

Gilbert took the coat from Feliciano. "I feel sorry for whoever that girl marries. I mean, she's the sweetest lady you'll ever find, but dealing with someone like her brother…" He winced. "I wouldn't be able to stand it."

And with that, the man headed outside. Feliciano didn't say or do anything. He just stared down at the floor until the guests began to ignore him and take their coats themselves.

_So…_ he thought. _The young lady that I admire is the sister of none other than Basch Zwingli, the over-protective, famous gunman…_

He ran his hand through his mop of chestnut-colored hair and heaved a massive sigh.

_What am I going to do?_

* * *

__**A/N:** So, this turned out to be longer than I expected it to be, lol.

I just love the idea of Feliciano/Italy and Ludwig/Germany as bros. I'm not a yaoi fan, so I won't ever go down _that _route, but the two are just as believable as bros as some think they are as lovers (me not included).

Word up.

I had a Hetalia character in mind when I mentioned the young man named Emil. Brownie points if you can guess who. Don't know if he will be a recurring character or not.

Mmkay. I think I'm good. I dunno if Elise is a fanon name for Liech... Is it?


	3. Shared Umbrella

_Chapter 3_

Elise stared out the window of her bedroom listlessly. A book sat discarded in her lap as she lay in bed, her gaze focused on the raindrops rolling down the window pane. As she stared down at the garden that her room overlooked, she wished that she could put on some boots and a coat and go out splashing in the puddles. Sadly, that wasn't possible. She sighed and put her handkerchief up to her reddened nose.

There was a knock on the door and she slowly, almost regretfully looked away from the window.

"Come in," she said.

The young man with light blue eyes and pale hair opened the door. He carried with him a tray of bread and soup with a glass of water.

"You hungry?" He asked, placing the tray on the table beside her bed.

Elise stared at the bowl of soup and cup for a minute.

"Not particularly," she finally answered.

"Well, you need to eat. Basch wants you to take those vitamin pills as well."

The fellow pointed to two white capsules that sat next to the cup on the tray.

Elise sighed and smiled. "Aren't you tired of being my nurse maid yet, Emil?"

An actual smile formed on the usually-serious young man's face. He went and sat down near her feet on the edge of the bed.

"Well, since your brother's now come back with the militia, you won't have me nagging you day in and day out."

"Yes," she chuckled. "He'll be the one doing the nagging."

Her chuckling quickly turned into coughs and Emil quickly grabbed the cup of water and helped her take a sip. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to control her coughing.

"I shouldn't have let you stay outside so long at that party," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

She took another sip. "It's just a little cold, Emil. I won't die over this."

"You and I both know that colds can turn into worse things. What were you doing, anyway? You only needed a minute or two to cool down."

He watched a small smile come over her face.

"I was … talking to someone."

Emil looked a bit baffled. "You mean that Italian fellow? Did you know him?"

She shrugged. "Well… no. But he was very friendly. He told me about Italy."

"Italy?"

She nodded, more enthusiastically now. "Wouldn't you like to go to Italy?"

"Well," he shrugged. "I've heard it's quite warm down there. Don't know how I'd like it…"

"Oh…" she said. The room grew quiet and Emil looked down at his hands. This was how it usually was between the two of them: they would have a moment of camaraderie, but then he would run out of things to say and they would both fall silent. He wished he could be more conversational. What had that young Italian done to keep Elise so focused? She seemed so happy and excited that night after she had gone back inside when Emil had called her.

He'd have to think about it later. Right now, he had to go and see if Elise's brother needed him to do anything else before he could head home.

"Well, if you don't need anything else…" he said, rising from his seat on the bed.

She smiled. "Thank you, Emil. I know I've probably been a pain to take care of all these months while Basch is gone, but I really appreciate your kindness."

He looked at her silently for a minute until another genuine, pleasant smile crept over his face.

"It was no pain, Elise, you can be sure of that. I've enjoyed these past couple of months. Now, you just get some rest so you can go outside again. All right?"

Elise grinned and saluted him. "Yes sir!" She took the bowl of soup into her hands and began eating.

After a few seconds of watching her, Emil quietly left the bedroom. He headed down the stairs and onto the second floor of the spacious house that was left to Basch Zwingli when he became a high-ranking officer in the militia. On the second floor lay the Swiss man's office. Emil stopped in front of the door and rapped on the door twice.

"Come in!" Came a sharp reply from inside.

"It's Emil, Mr. Zwingli," the young man said as he entered the office. It was a clean, efficient place with a couple of firearms hanging on the wall for quick use. At the desk sat the elder brother of Elise: a tall man with golden hair and eyes the same color as his sister. He had a stern look on his face as he looked up from his paperwork and his glance only softened a slim bit at the sight of Emil.

"Ah. How is my sister, sir?" he asked. His voice was accented and clipped.

"I don't think she's doing too badly. She began eating the food I gave to her, although I don't think she enjoys being … having to lie abed all day."

Emil refrained from using the term "being cooped up in her room" for fear his employer might suspect implications of being too protective. The man was very sensitive when it came to his younger sister, but for good reasons, Emil had to admit.

A hint of a smile actually came over the serious man's face. "Well. It's for her own good. She knows that," he said. He sat back in his chair and stared into space.

"I can't have her falling ill again," he murmured.

"Oh no, sir!" Emil exclaimed. "No, of course not!"

"I know you think I take extra precautions that aren't needed. Heh, everyone thinks that. But I'd rather be too careful and see her in good health than be too careless and see her near death. Just like…" He stopped and looked away. Emil said nothing. He just watched the man intently and saw him heave his shoulders, and heard him clear his throat.

"Yes. Well. I'm glad she's eating," he finally said. "And I want to thank you for watching out for her while I was away." Basch Zwingli turned back to Emil. "I know it wasn't what you signed up for."

"Oh, it was no trouble, sir," Emil said, doing his best to keep his emotions in check. In fact, he had quite enjoyed those past couple of months. He had never been around someone as pleasant as Elise Zwingli and he had admired her from afar ever since he had first begun working for her brother. Being able to spend some time with her and having to look after her had been a great pleasure for him, indeed.

There was a knock on the door and Basch gave the order for the person to come in.

"The mail's come, sir," a maid said, bearing a pile of letters.

"Thank you. Put it on my desk, please."

Basch began rifling through the mail as the maid dismissed herself and left the office. Emil cleared his throat.

"Sir, do you want me to go…?"

"Hold on a minute, if you please. I have one more task I'd like you to do before you leave for the day."

Basch took out a letter opener and sliced open one of the envelopes. Emil watched him as he read the letter's contents. Suddenly, the man frowned, let out an angered grunt and crinkled up the letter in his hands. He then tossed it across the room and began furiously penning down something on a blank sheet of paper.

Emil blinked. "Anything… the matter, Mr. Zwingli?" he asked hesitantly.

"I've just received another stupid request from some complete stranger for my sister's hand in marriage," The man growled, angrily throwing his pen down. He sighed and passed a hand over his eyes.

"Well, they're not complete strangers, but they're not anyone I know well either… My sister is already a delicate young lady. I won't have someone I don't know carry her off into some cold marriage!" He looked up at Emil.

"I'd rather her marry someone I know well, and someone I can trust – someone like you, Emil."

"M-Me?" Emil's eyes widened.

"I even wouldn't mind if you, yourself wanted to marry her…"

Emil's heart began racing. Was he serious? Would he really consider someone like Emil to marry Elise? The young man wasn't sure what to say.

"I…I…" he stammered.

"That is if you, well, were noble-born…"

Emil's excitement deflated like a balloon when it has its air let out.

"Yes, sir," he said.

The man went back to his other letters and Emil did his best to conceal his disappointment. He knew it was too good to be true to hope for a chance to court the young lady.

_It was probably a good idea that I didn't say anything… _he thought sadly.

"Sir," he said quietly.

Basch sighed. "Yes?"

"What was the task that you wanted me to do?" He just wanted to get whatever the man wanted him to do out of the way so he could get home.

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that." Basch quickly scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Emil.

"Just fetch those things for me and then you're free to go."

Emil took the list and quickly perused it. "All right," he answered.

He headed out of the office and down the stairs to the foyer of the house. After he slipped on a pair of boots, he went over to a closet and grabbed one of the coats.

"You are going out?"

He paused, his hand gripping the coat.

_Of all the people to talk to me at this moment…_

He looked behind him and saw Elise, fully clothed, smiling at him with curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Yes," he answered. "Your brother wanted me to run some errands before I headed home."

Elise nibbled at her bottom lip and peered over her shoulder warily before whispering,

"You don't think… Is it possible that I could go into town with you…?"

Emil frowned. "With that cold of yours? I don't think so!"

"I'm not that sick! I'll bundle up! Promise!" She clasped her hands and looked at him wide-eyed. "_Please,_ Emil? I've been cooped up in this house ever since the night of the party! I just want some fresh air!"

"But it's raining outside!" he objected.

"It has stopped, actually."

Emil narrowed his eyes and went over to a nearby window. Sure enough, the downfall had stopped, though he did notice that the sky was still clouded over.

"Looks like it might rain again," he warned.

"Well, I'll bring an umbrella or something!" she responded.

With a sigh, he looked back at her. Elise still was giving him a pleading look.

"Fine," he muttered, "but you be sure to bundle up nevertheless! I don't want us to get in trouble with your brother!"

She clapped her hands gleefully like a little child would and her grin was positively radiant. "I'll go get my coat!" she chirped.

Emil puffed his cheeks out and exhaled in exasperation. Why couldn't he say no to her? It was going to get him into trouble one day.

**…**

Because Elise was coming along, Emil had decided to take the small, single carriage so that she could travel into town still somewhat sheltered from the weather. Even though the rain had ceased, he didn't want to risk anything with his companion's health. Of course, she had not been too happy at his choice of vehicle.

"Really, Emil?" she had exclaimed as he hitched up the horse. "Why do I have to travel into town in that?"

"Listen, you. We're risking enough as it is with you going outside! Either you ride in that or you stay inside!"

She pouted and he turned away to hide his blush. Why did she have to be so pretty?

"Fine," he heard her say resignedly. The sound of her small umbrella closing could be heard and he dodged over to open the carriage door for her.

"Thank you," she said, smiling as if no argument had passed between them.

He nodded and she got into the carriage. Pretty soon, he was in the driver's seat and they were on their way into town.

Elise peered out of the window of the carriage and slowly inhaled. She liked how everything smelled after it rained. She closed her eyes and relished the feel of the wind on her face, billowing through her hair. Before she knew it, they had reached the town and she felt the carriage come to a stop. She heard Emil jump down from his seat and he opened the door for her, offering his hand to help her get out.

"I need to stop by a couple of stores to get what your brother requested," he said. She nodded and opened up her umbrella.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"If you don't mind," she said, "I think I will stop by the fabric store. I want to knit a nice shirt for Basch!"

Emil hid his disappointment and nodded, even though he was reluctant to lose sight of her.

"Very well. I will come and find you, all right?"

She nodded and he headed in the direction of the smithy's shop. Twirling her parasol, she gingerly headed across the town's street, doing her best to avoid puddles, and walked toward the shop with the name Angelika's Fabrics painted on the sign. The bell hanging from the door jingled as she went in, and a young lady with long, straight hair and big, green eyes greeted Elise with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Miss!"

"Hello." Elise nodded politely.

"Do you need some help?"

"Oh, no. I just want to look around," she answered. "I'm thinking of making a new shirt for my brother!"

The lady smiled. "Well, if you need help, like, in finding anything or deciding in a fabric or pattern just let me know! I'm Miss Lukasiewicz and I'm in charge of the store."

"Thank you," Elise said and began looking among the shelves of colorful patterns. She could faintly hear what sounded like several looms at work from the back of the store. She could hear the sound of the wood _click clacking _as the many machines wove the fabric and felt almost soothed by it. Perhaps it was the steady pace of it, or perhaps it was because she was actually _hearing _real noises of something at work. Her house was always so… _quiet. _

A back door opened, and a young man with shoulder-length hair the same color as the saleslady went over to talk to her. They seemed to be speaking in a different language and Elise continued to peruse the selection of fabrics that were various bright, dark, pastel and faded colors. But she just couldn't think of a good color to use for a shirt for Basch.

"Excuse… excuse me," she said, afraid to raise her voice too much. The two employees looked at her.

"What is it, hun?" The lady asked.

"I'd like an opinion from one of you… about a shirt for a man?"

"Oh! I can totally help!" The fellow exclaimed brightly. He strode over to Elise and gave her a friendly smile.

"What do ya need?" he asked.

"Well, I want to make a shirt for my brother, but I can't decide on the right color or pattern. Could you help me?"

"That's what I'm here for!" he said. "Now…" He shifted his weight onto one leg and rested his chin on his hand. "What kind of fellow is your brother?"

"Well, he's a general in the militia, and he's quite serious."

"Hm. Got any black shirts?"

"Quite a few," she answered dryly.

After almost twenty minutes of going back and forth about what color and even pattern her fabric should be, they both decided upon a nice forest green for the color. As for the pattern, Elise had decided that just a plain fabric would suit her brother's minimal tastes best.

"We'll be sure to give you the length you need," the man said as he walked over to the counter, "if you'll give me a moment, I'll measure it for you."

"Of course," Elise said. "Thank you for helping me, sir."

"Call me Feliks! It was a total pleasure, my dear!"

She gave him a kind smile, and turned to look out of the window while she waited for the fabric to be cut and wrapped for her. As she watched the people pass to and fro down the street, she thought she spotted a familiar face. She walked up to the window and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a young man with chestnut hair and a bright smile.

"Is that…?" She grew excited and quickly approached the fellow named Feliks.

"Can you hold that fabric for me, please?" she asked him. "I'll be right back!"

"Oh! Sure!" he said. "Name please?"

"Elise Zwingli."

"Gotcha. It'll be here on the counter," he said with a smile.

She darted out of the store and peered over to where she spotted the young man. She was able to get a better view of his profile and her heart skipped a beat. It was that Italian fellow from the night of the party.

She had thought about him during those long weeks of confinement as she battled that nasty cold. She thought about his bright smile, the pleasant sound of his accented voice, the way one solitary curl always seemed to stick out of place; it all made her smile. At the recollection of his mentioning an Italian city that was entirely built upon water, she had decided that on one of the days she didn't feel so weak, she would look the city up in one of the books in her brother's library. Upon further research, she had discovered that the city's name was Venice. She had thought about telling the young man about what she had read, and hoped that he could tell her more in detail. And now, it seemed that fate had given her the perfect opportunity, for there he was, just a few yards away. It made her stomach churn a little, for she had no idea when she would have been able to see him again.

With a deep intake of breath, she began walking towards him and upon further inspection noticed that he seemed to be talking to someone: a young woman.

Elise stopped. She twirled the handle of her umbrella. Should she go up to them? Would they be startled? They seemed so engrossed in their conversation, and Elise could tell that the girl wasn't a noble like she was. The girl seemed to be among the working class, like Feliciano. Elise worried at her lip. After all, they probably wouldn't understand why someone like her would want to talk to people like them, and that saddened her. She never did understand the rules of class and convention.

A gust of wind blew at that exact moment, and her umbrella flew out of her hands and landed _right by his feet._ Elise felt mortified. Should she walk up to get it, or should she wait until he figured out whom it belonged to?

Feliciano quickly noticed the umbrella near him and darted over to pick it up. Upon inspecting it, the girl beside him nodded in the direction of…

"Elise…" he breathed. His eyes widened. Was it really her, standing there on the side of the street, watching him? A big smile spread over his face and he quickly bid the other girl goodbye. He then approached the young lady, who looked quite flustered.

"It _is _you!" he said as soon as he was close enough.

She was smiling and her cheeks were pink.

"Hello again… Feliciano," she said quietly.

"You remembered my name!" He exclaimed, though he wanted to slap himself right after he said that.

_I sound like a complete idiot!_

Elise bashfully nodded and said, "Do you remember mine?"

"Of course I do!" _How could I forget it? _"It's Elise." His voice softened when he uttered her name. Suddenly, he realized…

"Oh! Is this yours?" he asked, holding up the umbrella. Elise couldn't help but giggle slightly at his abrupt change of mood.

"Yes, yes it is. Thank you for grabbing it. I hope I didn't interrupt anything between you and that girl…" She took the umbrella out of his hands, all the while inwardly wondering who that girl was, if she knew Feliciano well, and if they were … close.

"Oh, no, we were just saying hello to one another and she wanted to know how Elizaveta was doing! I… I'm happy to see you…" He was beginning to feel bashful himself. The atmosphere began to turn awkward between them as they both looked away, trying to focus on something else besides each other. Elise wanted to say something, anything! Before she was able to come up with something though, Feliciano spoke up.

"So what brings you to town?" he asked. "Did you come here by yourself?"

She shook her head. "I actually came here with my brother's assistant, but he had to run some errands."

"Would – I mean, if it's not too much to ask – would you like to walk around the town with me?" Feliciano asked hesitantly. He didn't want to say goodbye to her just yet.

To his delight, Elise complied.

"I would be delighted to," she answered, "but I just need to fetch my purchase first." She pointed to the fabric store.

"I am going to make a shirt for my brother and I just bought some nice fabric for it."

"Well, then let's go get it!"Feliciano exclaimed, unconsciously taking her by the hand. Elise was surprised, but she said nothing against it. His hand was warm and even though it was covered in calluses, she liked the feel of it holding hers.

The two of them trotted up to the fabric store and Feliciano opened the door for Elise with a low bow.

"After you, my lady!" he said, being half serious and half in jest.

"Thank you, good sir!" she answered, acting as snooty as possible. She stuck her nose in the air, which set them both giggling. They were obviously being loud, for the lady whom Elise met earlier stared at them. Still giggling, Elise went up to the store counter and greeted the lady.

"Hello again. I put some fabric on hold under the name Elise Zwingli."

The lady nodded. "Here you go." Elise was handed a parcel with the cut and measured fabric she had picked out and she told the store owner to charge it to the Zwingli family's accounts.

"That looks nice!" Feliciano exclaimed as he peered into the parcel. "I like the color!"

Miss Lukasiewicz smiled. "Feliciano! What's a rascal like you doing with a nice lady like Miss Zwingli?" she teased.

Feliciano's face reddened from embarrassment. "What are you talking about? I happen to be the lady's friend!"

He turned to Elise with wide eyes. "Right?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes."

"See?" He grinned. "Now if you'll excuse us," he said, putting on the snooty attitude this time, "we have to be going."

The lady rolled her eyes as they headed out of the store. "Just be careful of that one, little Miss!" she called. "He'll charm the gold right out of your pockets!"

Feliciano threw her a look as they left.

"I wouldn't do such a thing," he muttered, standing at Elise's side. "I won't try to charm gold or money from you! I promise!" he cried, looking into her eyes.

He was surprised to find that she was stifling laughter.

"What is it?"

She took a couple of breaths before answering. "It's just… your face… She was obviously teasing you, Feliciano. But you looked so upset…" Elise had to pause as she continued to laugh.

"You mean, you didn't believe her?"

"No. Oh, Feliciano, you're so cute!" she continued to giggle a little while longer until the realization of what she just said sunk in.

Did she really say that? And out loud to Feliciano's face? She was horrified.

"I… I mean… um…" Elise clutched her parcel in one hand and looked away. With the other hand, she covered her warming cheek. But Feliciano laid a hand on one of her shoulders and peered over to look at her reddening face.

"Thank you," he said sweetly. He smiled. "Why don't we walk around the town a little bit?"

A smile could be seen behind her hand. She nodded.

Feliciano grinned and they both began walking around. He held her umbrella as they approached different store windows. They stared into them like little children would and even pointed sometimes. Their favorite store to look into was the bakery. The many delicacies of pastries, chocolates and candies made their mouths water.

"We should buy something!" he said.

"All right!"

The two entered the shop and it didn't take long before they both agreed on picking out small pieces of chocolate mint fudge. The only problem was that Feliciano didn't have enough money for two pieces.

"I could buy them if you want," Elise offered.

"No!" Feliciano cried. "I'm the gentleman. I shouldn't be letting you have to worry about stuff like that!"

Elise began giggling yet again. "I don't mind," she said.

But Feliciano would not be moved. "I just don't think it would be right," he said sadly. "I'm sorry, Elise…"

"How about we just share one piece!" she exclaimed brightly. Feliciano's mood lightened quickly.

"Si! We'll do that!"

And so the crisis was averted and the two of them broke the piece of fudge in half to share.

"Where to next?" she asked as they began exiting the bakery. They stood outside under the awning.

"Well, we could - "

Suddenly thunder crashed and rain began pouring down. True to Emil's earlier concerns, the rain had returned.

"Oh dear," she said worriedly. "With this weather, Emil will be looking for me…"

"Who?" Feliciano asked, suddenly quite curious (and somewhat concerned) at the sound of that masculine name.

"The young man I came into town with… remember? He's my brother's assistant."

"O-Oh." Feliciano began wondering who this young man was, what he looked like, and if Elise thought he was cute too.

Suddenly he noticed that Elise seemed hesitant to walk into the rain and she held her coat close to herself. He opened her umbrella and held it up above her.

"Why don't we head back to the fabric shop?" he offered. "That's probably where he'll be looking for you, right?"

The appreciation in her eyes made his heartbeat quicken.

"Yes. Thank you, Feliciano," she said quietly.

As they began to walk out into the rain, she noticed that he was getting quite wet. The umbrella was mostly shielding her and not him.

"Here," she suddenly said. They stopped walking. Elise took his hand that held the umbrella and wrapped it around her shoulders. This caused him to have to stand close to her. Now his hand hung over her shoulder and they both could hold the umbrella's handle.

"Now we can both remain dry!" Elise said brightly.

"Yes…" Feliciano said softly.

That was his only response, as he was at a loss for words to say anything more. He was so close to her. He could easily wrap his other arm around her waist if he wanted to. He didn't of course. He just lightly held her free arm by the hand. Despite her thoughtful actions to keep him dry, his back was quickly getting soaked, but that didn't matter to him. Not when he was in such an agreeable position.

She smelled quite nice; perhaps it was coming from her hair. Feliciano began to wonder what it would feel like between his fingers. Her hand he had held was so soft and little, and he wondered if the rest of her was just as soft…

He mentally slapped himself. What was wrong with him? No girl had such a strong impact on him like this! Sure, he had felt slight passions before, but never to this extent! He had even begun to wonder how soft her lips would feel! And besides, she was so cute the way she giggled and just pulled his arm around her the way she did. It was hard to believe that she was among the nobles. She seemed so at ease with the lower classes: she traveled with her brother's assistant, freely talked with the store's owner and she was happy to spend time with him!

Feliciano was beginning to desire more time with this girl. He had thought about her quite a bit after that night of the party. He had begun to wonder what her home life was like, how she spent her days, if she had any family and if she did things similar to Miss Edelstein. The last thing he had ever hoped to imagine, however, was that he would see her again. Thus, when he saw her coming towards him and the way she shyly glanced at him when her umbrella landed at his feet, the emotions that ran through him were almost overwhelming.

They arrived at the fabric shop too soon for him. He was surprised to see that a small, single carriage was sitting outside the shop and coming out of the shop was a young man that Feliciano recognized to be the fellow who had called Elise back inside the night of the party. He quickly noticed the two of them and ran up, with a hood over his head.

"Elise! Where have you been? I – I was afraid that…" He then noticed that Feliciano was standing almost behind her underneath the umbrella.

"Hello. Who is this?"

Deep inside, something told Feliciano that he should resent this man, but he didn't put much thought into that… for the moment.

"My name is Feliciano Vargas," he offered.

"He's the Italian gentleman I told you about!" Elise said pleasantly.

_So she's talked about me… _Things were getting better and better for the young man.

Meanwhile, Emil did not look too impressed.

"I see. Well, pleased to meet you, I'm sure. My name is Emil Steilsson. I hate to seem rude, but we've got to go. And Elise, we need to get you out of the rain!"

She sighed good-naturedly and shook her head. "Yes, Emil," she said.

Emil was going to offer to take the umbrella away from the Italian, but Feliciano quickly ushered Elise to the cab's door, continuing to keep the umbrella above her head. Emil opened the door and she quickly stepped inside the vehicle.

"Good grief, you two! Stop surrounding me! Feliciano, you don't know any better, but Emil, you know I don't need to be babied _that _much!"

Emil nodded. "Sorry. All right, I guess we'll head out then."

He turned to Feliciano and bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you."

Feliciano returned the sentiment, though no real feeling of camaraderie passed between them.

"Travel safely," he said.

As Emil hopped onto the driver's seat and began readying the horse, Feliciano peered into the window to bid farewell to Elise.

"You're positively soaked!" she exclaimed. "Do you want my umbrella?"

He shook his head. "No, no. Wouldn't want you catching cold!"

She looked concerned. "I don't want you to catch one either!"

He grinned. "I'll be fine, Elise. I have a good immune system!"

The carriage began moving and Elise quickly stuck her head out a little to get closer to him.

"Take care, Feliciano!"

"You too, Elise. Will…" He began walking faster so as not to be left behind as the carriage began moving.

"Will I see you again?"

Elise looked troubled. "Maybe…" was all she could say. She honestly didn't know. It all depended on whether her brother wanted to visit Mr. Edelstein or vice versa.

"I hope so!" Feliciano said as the carriage got away from him. He stood there, getting wetter by the minute, just watching the carriage head out of town. He saw Elise peer out the window in the rain and wave her hand. He waved back.

"I hope so, _la mia ragazza bella…_"

Meanwhile, Elise sat in the carriage, smiling and quietly laughing. She didn't quite understand the feelings that were beginning to take over her emotions, but she did know that nothing would make her happier than to see that young Italian man again…

* * *

**A/N: **Yay! You all knew who Emil is supposed to be! Cookies for everyone!

lol anyways...

First Emil and now Feliks worm their way into this! Sadly, though, I don't think Feliks will be a recurring character like Emil will be.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Now that I've gotten it done, I've gotta slap my hands and finish that chapter for my ensey tale. -_-

Sorry if the editing is bad. I'll come back and proofread it later. :)


	4. Questions

**Author's Notes: **Well, here's chapter 4! I want to try and incorporate some of the side characters further into the plot, thus we have the basis of this chapter. But don't worry, Elise and Feliciano will have their moments soon. :)

All rightie, now then, someone requested a name key for the characters since I am using a lot of fan names for both Hetalia and Nyotalia characters. So, as requested, here ya go:

**List of characters so far in alphabetical order:**

1. Angelika Lukasiewicz = nyo!Poland

2. Anneliese Edelstein = nyo!Austria

3. Basch Zwingli = Switzerland

4. Dániel Héderváry = nyo!Hungary

5. Elise Zwingli = Liechtenstein

6. Elizaveta Héderváry = Hungary

7. Emil Steilsson = Iceland

8. Feliciano Vargas = N. Italy

9. Feliks Lukasiewicz = Poland

10. Gilbert Beilschmidt = Prussia

11. Ludwig Beilschmidt = Germany

12. Maria Beilschmidt = nyo!Prussia

13. Michelle = unsure, probably Seychelles since she works at Master Bonnefoy's house (Bonnefoy is France's human last name)

14. Roderich Edelstein = Austria

All right, then. I think that's everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

"A – ACHOO!"

"_Gesundheit!" _Ludwig laughed. He turned to look at his friend, who was propped up against a tree trunk. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the Italian man had begun sketching something upon a pad of paper that was resting against his legs.

"Are you coming down with a cold, Feliciano?" Ludwig turned away to load his gun.

His companion swiped a hand under his nose and sniffed loudly.

"I guess so." He smiled to himself. It turned out that Elise had been justified in her fears. He wasn't worried, though. Colds weren't much of a problem for Feliciano. He had a strong constitution.

A gunshot thundered through the trees that spread out over the acres of the Beilschmidt estate. Soon after the firing was heard, the elder of the two brothers came crashing out of the forest, his hunting dogs following after him.

"Brother! Oi!"

"_Ja! _Right over here!"

Gilbert strode up to the other two men and held his game aloft.

"Caught some pheasant!" he said. He shouldered his gun.

"Ah, very good. I'm glad you were able to actually shoot something this time," Ludwig answered. His voice was as serious as it was prone to be, but there was a twinkle in his eye that indicated his sarcasm. Feliciano soon noticed it and hid his snickers behind his sketchbook.

"What do you mean _this _time?" Gilbert demanded.

"Nothing, Gil. Nothing."

"Do you doubt my awesome hunting skills?!"

"Of course not."

"Do not forget: _I _am the one who taught _you _how to shoot a gun in the first place – _West."_

Feliciano saw Ludwig roll his eyes. "_Ja, ja. _In that case, could I maybe take a shot now?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Go right ahead. See if you can do as awesome as me."

"Right. I only hope you didn't scare everything away…" Ludwig muttered under his breath.

"You know, I heard that."

Ludwig had a small smile on his face as he clapped his brother on the shoulder and whistled to his dogs that had taken a short rest beside Feliciano. Upon hearing their master's call, however, they quickly leapt up and followed him. It wasn't until after Ludwig had walked off that Gilbert seemed to notice Feliciano for the first time.

"You're not shooting?" he queried.

Feliciano looked up from his sketching and shrugged.

"I don't really like guns much," he admitted. "Too scared to handle one. I'm afraid I'd shoot myself!"

Feliciano chuckled sheepishly and Gilbert laughed in return. He could easily believe that Feliciano was scared of guns. He didn't exactly seem to be the strongest of men.

Ludwig's dogs could be heard barking in the distance and Gilbert peered into the trees. Suddenly he spoke.

"So…" he hesitated. "How is everyone at cousin Roderich's house?"

Feliciano glanced up at him.

"What?"

"I mean…" The man cleared his throat. "Eliza – I mean, Miss Héderváry… Is she doing all right?"

Feliciano shrugged. "She's the same as ever, I guess. Truth be told, it's her brother we're worried about."

This seemed to interest Gilbert.

"Dániel? Why?"

"He's got his heart fixed on this lady – a nun, I believe. Elizaveta keeps telling him it's pointless to pursue her, but…" He sighed. "I guess he loves her too much to give her up. It's sad, really."

Gilbert looked away and slightly frowned.

"Yes. It is sad," he muttered.

Feliciano looked up into the tree tops and began to wonder…

What was Dániel going to do?

* * *

The man in question was beginning to wonder that himself. He stood in the town square, waiting for the next person that wanted their shoes polished and cleaned. Dániel frowned. He didn't need to do this - this menial task that paid very little - when he had another job, a place to sleep and food to eat, so why in the world had he agreed to do this and carry the burden of two jobs?

A quick glance to his right gave him his answer. The small German woman clad in a black habit with strands of ashen-blonde hair sticking out of her headdress was coming his way. It was a good idea to set up business in front of the General Store, he decided.

Maria Beilschmidt held a basket under her arm, most likely for carrying home groceries, and she didn't notice Dániel sitting there under the awning at first.

"I suppose it's no use asking if you need you shoes polished." He ventured to speak.

The lady started and stared wide-eyed down at the man.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What does it look like? I'm a shoe polisher in my spare time."

Her jaw clenched and she spoke through gritted teeth, as if under extreme duress.

"Why do you continue to follow me? I thought I told you I don't wish to see you anymore."

Dániel stood.

"And I want to know why," he answered. "There was once a time, I think, when you wouldn't have minded half as much."

She looked away.

"I don't see why it's any of your business."

"Maria… Surely you must know… You must know how I feel about -"

"I don't want to hear it!" She frantically cried, clutching her basket to herself as if using it as a shield against him. The two of them just stared at each other; Maria desperately and Dániel hurt and confusedly.

"I – I need to buy some things for the Abbess," she said quickly. "Please just let me go."

Before she could walk inside the store, however, Dániel gently took hold of her arm.

"Please, Maria. I'm just worried about you. Won't you tell me if something happened?"

She paused and it seemed that she was just going to brush him off again, but instead, she laid her hand upon his.

"Perhaps I will tell you… but not now."

"But one day you will?" he urged.

Maria nodded. "Yes, I promise. Just leave me alone for right now though. Please?"

Dániel agreed and reluctantly let her go.

"I will be here, Maria. Every day. I just want to see you."

She looked at him for a minute. There seemed to be sadness and – longing perhaps – in her eyes. But that was only for a moment and then she hurriedly entered the store. She was in there for precisely twenty minutes (Dániel counted) and then she left. She didn't say one more word to the man who continued to sit there – shining shoes when asked – and who watched her intently until she passed a corner and out of his sight.

* * *

"Will you not be missed if you stay here for too long, Feliciano?" Ludwig queried as the three men headed back to the Beilschmidt house.

"Elizaveta knows. We did most of the day's work before I left. Today was silver-shining day and she said I wasn't needed as much."

"Well, that's fortunate. Say, perhaps you could teach us that Scopa game you talked about at Cousin Roderich's house?"

Feliciano eagerly nodded. "Sure!" He said as they answered the house through the kitchen. Gilbert's pheasants were given to the cook as were Ludwig's hares and his big catch: a young buck.

"No deer this time, Master Beilschmidt?" The woman teasingly looked at the older brother.

"Afraid not, Cook," Ludwig said. A small smirk was on his face.

"Yeah, well, you just got lucky _West," _Gilbert muttered. "I'll bag one next time."

"Of course you will," the servant said reassuringly.

Gilbert grinned and strutted out of the kitchen. Even the smallest of praise could raise his spirits.

"Eventually…" the lady finished under her breath. She winked at Feliciano and the two snickered. After all, fellow servants always shared little jokes together.

He then followed Ludwig out of the kitchen and into a smaller room where the men relaxed by smoking, playing such games as chess and cards, or just sitting by the fire sipping a glass of brandy. They never went into the parlor. It was far too dainty a place for such fellows as the German brothers, not to mention their father Lord Beilschmidt. Feliciano was glad of this. He didn't feel that it would be proper for a person like him to be in there. He still held his sketchbook under his arm and set it down beside him at a card table as he pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket. Ludwig sat across from him.

"Brandy?" Gilbert asked, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"None for me thanks."

"Me neither. Not now, anyways."

Gilbert scoffed and watched as Feliciano dealt out the cards. He then eyed the sketchbook.

"Pretty face. Where have I seen that face before?" he exclaimed.

Feliciano practically yelped and lunged for the sketchbook. What an idiot he was! He hadn't wanted people see his handiwork, especially when it was sketches of certain people!

Ludwig grabbed it before his friend could stow it away. He analyzed the drawing and his eyebrow quirked.

"Miss Zwingli?" he shot a questioning look at Feliciano.

"Oh yeah! I knew I'd seen that face before!" Gilbert stood behind his brother and peered at the picture further.

"You've captured her almost perfectly! She looks real cute here."

"Yes… I agree…" Ludwig muttered.

Feliciano didn't know how to respond. What could he say that he admired the young lady? That she was one of the prettiest and sweetest of ladies he knew and that if he only had the right amount of wealth and connections… No. the brothers wouldn't accept it. Even Ludwig, while being his friend, would still not deem this infatuation to be wise, especially considering Elise's brother. He had only briefly met that man once at the party, but he had heard enough about Basch Zwingli to make him quake in his boots. The man could beat up Gilbert Beilschmidt! That was enough to be frightened about in Feliciano's book.

Ludwig looked like he was about to say something when there came a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Gilbert said.

A servant stepped inside.

"Excuse me, sirs, but there is a young man who wishes to speak to you, Master Beilschmidt."

"The devil you say!" Gilbert exclaimed. "Who is he?"

"Some Hungarian fellow. He claims to know you, Sir."

Both Gilbert and Ludwig frowned a little and Feliciano couldn't help but feel curious.

"Very well, I will come. Show me where he is."

As Gilbert exited the room, Ludwig frowned and looked at the cards on the table.

"I wonder what Dániel wants…" he murmured.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Feliciano replied. He held out his hand for Ludwig to return his sketchbook to him.

"You're not in love with Miss Zwingli, are you?" Ludwig asked. He continued to hold the sketchbook.

Suddenly, Feliciano felt a little … upset – and he _never _got upset with his friend!

_But honestly, _he thought, _what's it to him? Why should he care? Unless he has feelings for the lady himself?!_

"No," he finally said. "I just admire her beauty is all."

"I only ask because I don't want you to have false hopes," Ludwig said as if he knew what Felciiano really wanted to say.

"You know how Basch Zwingli can be concerning his sister."

Feliciano nodded.

"Plus, she is … I mean … The two of you aren't exactly…" He hesitated, but Feliciano understood him perfectly. Basch Zwingli would never allow his sister to start a relationship with the help. Feliciano, a servant, wouldn't be proper company for someone like Elise. Servants should mingle with the servants and the upper class with the upper class. It had been like that in Italy; of course it was like that here.

Even so, that didn't mean Feliciano had to like it. When the clock struck the hour, he looked at the door.

"I should probably head back now," he murmured.

"I didn't mean to upset you or anything," Ludwig said seriously.

Feliciano did his best to work up a smile.

"Oh, I know. I guess I should thank you really... I would probably get in trouble for forgetting my place, right?"

Ludwig shrugged. "Well, maybe, and we wouldn't want anything like that to happen," he said.

Feliciano nodded. "I really think I should leave now, though."

"All right. Do you know the way back?"

"Yes. I'll be fine," Feliciano said quickly, in a voice that was slightly forced to sound happy. He stood and told Ludwig he could keep the cards for future games. Then he quickly made his exit and Ludwig just watched him. A hint of concern was on his stern face.

Feliciano made his way toward the back of the house and left via the kitchen. He figured that would be the most suitable place for someone like him to exit. After all, he had to remember his place. Yes, his thoughts were petty and childishly resentful, but he didn't care. He felt like being childish and resentful at the moment. No one was around to notice anyway.

_I suppose I shouldn't be feeling this way, but, I mean, really! Would it really be that big of a deal if I did have affections for the lady? I'm not hurting anyone by it, am I?_

He was too busy pouting to himself that he didn't spot the form of a man in front of his way before he rammed into him.

"Ach!" Feliciano exclaimed. "I'm so sorry sir! Please don't -!"

He stopped cowering when he saw that it was just Dániel who stood in his way. Feliciano sighed in relief.

"Watch yourself, little man!" The Hungarian joked, though his features didn't look jovial.

"Sorry again, Dániel! I heard you were here! What brings you?"

The two began to walk together, heading back to the Edelstein estate, which wasn't too far away. Dániel did not answer Feliciano's question straight away.

"I came to fetch you…" he said after a while. "But also, I had to speak to Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"Oh."

Feliciano didn't know what else to say. He figured it had to do with that lady in the convent, but he didn't ask any questions. He felt that it wasn't any of his business.

The walk back was a quiet one as both fellows had their own thoughts to mull over. Feliciano was inwardly pondering about his previous discussion with Ludwig.

_"You're not in love with Miss Zwingli, are you?"_

The question continued to spin around in the young man's head. Was he in love?

_I am infatuated with her, that's for sure, _he thought. But whether he was in love with her or not remained to be seen. He'd had such feelings and affairs with other young ladies before.

As for Dániel, he couldn't help but think back to what he had just discussed with the eldest Beilschmidt son.

**…**

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Dániel?" Gilbert had said quietly. The two of them were seated in Lord Beilschmidt's study. A quite impressive portrait of the entire Beilschmidt family hung over the grand mantelpiece and Dániel studied it thoughtfully.

"It has," he finally answered.

"Hmm…" Gilbert rested his chin on his hands as he leaned on his father's desk. The young man was beginning to resemble his father more and more as each year passed.

"Your sister – Maria – looks so young there. I remember…"

Dániel cleared his throat and looked down at the rug.

"What brings you here, Dániel?" Gilbert asked. He didn't look at the portrait once. He had no desire to.

"Are your parents away?" Dániel suddenly inquired. He looked toward the door as if expecting Lord and Lady Beilschmidt to walk through the door at any moment.

"They are abroad at the moment, yes. They won't be back until late autumn. Now, are you going to explain why you wanted to see me?"

The Hungarian folded his hands, separated them and folded them again.

"I just wanted to ask… if you knew what happened with Maria."

"What do you mean?"

"Why the sudden decision to take the vows and spend the rest of her life in seclusion? Why didn't she tell… why didn't she speak of it?"

He stopped as Gilbert had started to frown at him.

"I just… I want to know… I – I can't help but worry."

"You have no need to worry," Gilbert said dismissively. "She made her decision and what's done is done."

"I just ask because-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sir." Gilbert slammed his hand down flat on the desk. His reddish-violet eyes flashed.

"Why should my sister's actions concern you? Just because we played together as children doesn't mean you get free access into my family's private life."

Dániel was beginning to get angry now.

"I hadn't realized my selfless concern for Maria's well-being would be so offensive to you," he said in a low voice.

"It isn't the fact that you're concerned that bothers me. It's _why _you are concerned."

"What do you-"

"I know that your feelings for Maria are more than platonic, and frankly, Dániel, I cannot say that I can support them."

Dániel took a deep breath before responding.

"I had no idea that you were so opposed to me, Gilbert, especially considering the fact that _my_ sister is so-"

"It's not up to me," Gilbert said quickly. The hardness in his eyes had softened somewhat. He now looked a little pensive; sad even.

Dániel looked confused and Gilbert looked away.

"Is this all you came here for?" he asked after a minute.

Dániel sighed. "Yes. I suppose you can't or won't tell me what happened with Maria?"

"No." Gilbert shook his head. "If you want to know, you'll have to ask her. I'm – I'm sorry. I'm afraid I lost my temper."

Dániel didn't respond to this apology and he left shortly thereafter, still with no answer and feeling even more confused than before. Meanwhile, Gilbert remained in the study, just pensively staring down at the wooden desk. Then suddenly, he lifted his head and actually looked up at the portrait above the mantelpiece. His eyes scanned the artwork and they narrowed when his glance fell upon the painted figure of a tall, young lady that looked a little older than both Maria and Ludwig. She stood behind the seated figure of Lady Beilschmidt and had golden hair and big, blue eyes that were even bluer than Ludwig's. While Maria smiled with a cheerful and boisterous grin, this young lady had a smaller, more serene smile that hinted at a quieter and thoughtful disposition.

Gilbert clenched his teeth at this girl's picture and quickly stood up and backed away from those wide, blue eyes that seemed to constantly watch him. He then quickly left the study, muttering curses all the while.

**…**

"So you actually talked to Gilbert, hmm?" Elizaveta said quietly as she chopped up vegetables. Dániel leaned against the counter beside her, munching thoughtfully on a carrot.

"Yes."

His sister sighed. "And let me guess, he didn't tell you anything, did he?"

He paused a moment before answering, "No."

"That's what I figured."

Elizaveta was finished chopping the vegetables and dumped them into a pot full of broth.

"She did say that she would talk to me, though," Dániel said feebly. "She said she would when she was ready."

"And who knows how long that will be! You know how that family is. It takes them forever to tell you what they're feeling!" She tossed the chopping knife into the sink. "And their cousin is the exact same way!" She angrily muttered.

"It's all I've got to go on," Dániel said. "I'll give her time. We were close as children. I know she'll open up to me eventually."

Elizaveta shook her head. "Doing that stupid shoe polishing job all the while? You'll work yourself to death what with that and the work you do here."

Dániel smiled. His sister was worried about him, and he was touched. He leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't fret, my dear. I'll be fine."

She just sighed and patted his back. Then, after looking around the kitchen, suddenly asked,

"Have you seen Feliciano?"

Her brother just shrugged. "He went upstairs after we got back. I haven't seen him since."

"Is he all right?" Elizaveta asked, a bit concernedly.

"I think so. He was quiet as we headed home. Do you want me to go check on him?"

"No," Elizaveta said. "I'll go see him. It's almost time for supper, so I'll go tell him. Could you watch the stew until I get back?"

He complied and Elizaveta headed up the back stairs. She entered the servants' quarters and walked up to Feliciano's door.

"Feliciano?" she called as she knocked. "Are you in there?"

"Yes. You can come in," he answered.

Upon opening his door, Elizaveta saw Feliciano sitting by his window, staring out at the tree branches. A sketchbook was in his hand and he seemed to be drawing something.

"Supper's almost ready," she said.

He nodded and Elizaveta frowned at his lack of enthusiasm.

"Are you going to come down?"

Feliciano looked away from the window and shrugged.

"If it's all the same to you, Elizaveta, I think I'll just stay here. I'm not really hungry."

"What?!" she exclaimed. Elizaveta strode over to his side and laid her hand on his forehead.

"Well, you don't have a fever…" she said thoughtfully. "But… Feliciano, are you all right?"

He had a wide smile on his face. "Of course I am! Why shouldn't I be?"

But Elizaveta wasn't fooled. She frowned at him and placed her fists on her hips.

"Feliciano Vargas, in all the time I've known you, I've learned to spot when you are lying. That big smile of yours doesn't fool me. Now, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

He didn't speak for a moment, but then he sighed and lowered the sketchbook.

"There's someone that I … am very fond of…"

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "Is it a girl?"

He looked away, feeling uncomfortable. "Y-yes…"

She grinned. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

"The way you've been acting these past couple of weeks, you've been mooning about and sighing a lot. You've also been sketching more than usual. Plus, you haven't been as hungry as you usually are!" Elizaveta giggled, ruffling his hair.

"You love someone, don't you?"

His eyes widened. "Oh no! No, I don't know that yet!"

"Oh. Well, anyway, you like someone well enough. So what's wrong? Does she not know?" Elizaveta gasped. "Or perhaps she doesn't return your affections?" She looked upon the Italian with sympathy.

"No… it's just… I don't think I'm good enough for her…" Feliciano bowed his head sadly and Elizaveta began to frown.

"Did this girl make you feel that way?"

"No, but… she's from a well-to-do family… and I don't think others would approve of me."

"Well, what does she think?"

Feliciano seemed unable to answer that question.

"I don't know. She seems to like me… She even called me cute at one point!" He smiled fondly at that memory.

"Well, then who cares what other people think!" Elizaveta said firmly. "It doesn't matter if they say you're too poor or too simple! As long as he – I mean, as long as the girl thinks you're good enough, than you don't need to listen to what everyone else says!"

Elizaveta's cheeks were red at her slipup. _I can't believe I almost… _She swallowed hard and worked up a smile of her own.

"Just don't worry too much about it, Feli," she said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"If you two like each other, then nothing else matters."

Feliciano thought about that for a moment. Then he gave Elizaveta a genuine smile.

"You're right, Elizaveta. Maybe I'll talk to her about this," he said.

She nodded. "You should! And who knows? Maybe if you two like each other enough, you might find yourselves falling in love!"

His face reddened. "I-I don't know about that… We barely know each other…"

"Well, it's like my old _nagyapa _used to say, 'You never know what tomorrow will bring'! Now, come on, Feli. You should eat something."

Feliciano sighed and stood up, a small smile still on his face. "All right. I guess I could eat a _little _something."

"That's the spirit!" she exclaimed. She took his hand and they walked out of his room, heading down to the kitchen.

"And don't worry about the girl. I'm sure something good will happen for you two."

Feliciano felt comforted by Elizaveta's words. He still wasn't sure if he loved Elise or not, but he did agree with Elizaveta. Just because he was lower than Elise didn't mean he couldn't at least be her friend. And plus, she didn't seem to mind that he was a servant. She seemed to like him despite that.

_The next time I see her, maybe we can talk about this… _he thought.

Meanwhile, Elizaveta, while feeling happy for Feliciano, also felt a little concerned. She felt that she had been mixing her own problems with his. She had practically almost given away the most important thing she was supposed to keep quiet, for Heaven's sake; just because Feliciano's predicament was so similar to her own.

She squared her shoulders. No one needed to know about her own relationship problems, and she wasn't about to tell anyone about them, not even Feliciano. As far as she knew, only Dániel knew about what was going on, and she was determined to keep it that way.


End file.
